captioning funded by cbs good morning. it is thursday, february 14th, 2013. welcome to "cbs this morning." breaking news. olympic shocker. double amputee sprinter oscar, accused of murder. we'll talk to the ceos from both airlines about their big merger. as that crippled cruise liner limps back to port, new details on how bad things really are on how bad things are on board. >> but we begin with today's "eye opener," your world in 09 seconds.

>> there was a shooting at the home of oscar pistorius. >> an olympic shock in south africa. >> he has been arrested. >> charged with the murder of a 30-year-old woman. it believes the woman was his girlfriend. 4,200 passengers are hoping to set foot on dry land this morning in alabama. >> a fire in the engine room of the carnival "triumph" sunday without power. >> i moved heaven and earth to be here. >> this morning america airlines and us airways are announcing a merger. >> it will likely mean fewer seats and higher prices for all. >> we did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get mr. dorner out. >> he could have come out the back door with his hands out and waved a white flag. he decided to stay in there.

>> now we hear from the couple that dorner held hostage. >> he said i just want to clearly name. >> he laid out in his state of the union address. >> all that -- >> a boxer has been suspended for taking a dive. he wasn't even close. >> whatever you're getting your wife, send it to her jom in front of her co-workers. >> -- and all that matters -- >> to show their support in stopping the sequester. >> we need to find solutions. we can't just sit here and bitch. >> -- on "cbs this morning." >> don't worry, senator rubio, nobody noticed that you gave a speech.

welcome to "cbs this morning." charlie rose is off today, so james brown is with us. and we're glad he's here. we start with some breaking news. olympic track star and double amputee oscar pistorius is under arrest this morning accused of murder. >> his girlfriend was found shot in his home in south africa overnight. mark phillips has more on the stunning news about the pair a olympic gold medalist known as the blade runner. good morning, mark. >> good morning, j.b. and norah. this isn't so much a whodunit as what happened. only two people are involved. oscar pistorius, the blade runner, and the woman who was killed. >> we can confirm there was a shooting this morning at the home of the well known pair a olympic athlete oscar pistorius. >> oscar pistorius and his girlfriend have been a celebrity a-list. she was a frequent cover girl

with supermodel looks and by the sounds of the tweets she sent out the romance seemed to be going well. it should be a day of love for everyone, she said, just a day before she died. the shooting took place at pistorius's house inside the secure gated community. it's the way many south africans live with extreme high burglary and high crime rates. at first the shoots was thought to be a case of mistaken identity that reeva tried to surprise oscar with an unannounced valentine's day visit but later it was confirmed to be more sinister by the police. oscar pistorius has become a renowned personality, not just for the way he has overcome his handicap and become an athlete but forcing authorities to allow him to run against able bodied competition. now he's fighting a more serious

battle. he was arrested and subjected to forensic tests for blood alcohol levels and for whatever might be under his details. the details of the murder, the police say, will come out in kofrmt like many in south africa, pistorius kept a gun at home. whether this is another tragic combination of an gurmt and firearm being the in the same place, we'll have to wait and see. in the meantime the police will postpone bail for pistorius. we also have more breaking news. the deal is done. american airlines and us airways are announcing an $11 billion merger this morning. it will be the largest leverager. sharyl attkisson is live outside the airport this morning. >> reporter: good morning, norah. you may be paying more for your tickets. the new airline will take the american airlines' name, helping

to boost a company that's been in bankruptcy for more than a year. american has struggled to compete in recent years as its rivals have grown. the marriage between number three american and number four us airways will create the world's largest carrier, bigger than united which merged with continental in 2010 and delta which merged with northwest in 2008. american's ceo tom horton told "cbs this morning's" travel editor peter greenberg last month that a merger was the only way to prevent collapse. >> you've got to move fast in this business and it's time for our company to start looking forward. >> reporter: four airlines would control 70% of the market. that has some concerned about the impact it will have on travelers. >> they say it isn't going to raise ticket prices. i don't believe that one bit. >> reporter: after delta bought northwest, the decreased competition sent ticket prices up more than 20% between

minneapolis-st. paul and atlanta. and 30% between chicago and houston and newark and san francisco. consultant daryl jenkins says the battle between the big three may lead to a price war benefiting consumers. >> consumers are going to have a lot of choice. you're going to see fares moderated because of the amount of competition here. >> reporter: air travelers have a lot of other choices like jetblue and southwest. regulators are likely to approve the merger as long as they feel some level of competency is concerned in areas where the two companies are dominant. >> let's take a closer look what the merger means for you. rebecca jarvis. so what is it going to be like. >> you have the number three joining up with the number five,

us airways. they're gong have 500 planes on hand. that's more than any other airline. 3,2 hyundaily flights and over 95,000 employees. their headquarters will be in texas. >> who's going to be the ceo? >> that's the interesting story. doug parker has wanted this for ages. he has wanted to have a connection, a merger with a larger airline, and he risks us airways being marginalized without this deal being done. he trielt with delta, united twice. this is where he takes over as ceo. he really championed. he worked with the labor unions and creditors to get this done. >> what's in store for passengers with this new partnership? >> we have been down this road before. generally speaking when two major airlines merge, prices can sometimes have a price war.

sometimes the consumer initially gets a better deal but overtime less competition in general means better prices. >> that's the headacheup. later we're going to talk to both the ceos of american airlines and us airways. they'll be here today to give us the big announcement and if that does mean higher prices for you. meanwhile passengers are stranded in grotesque conditions after a fire knocked out the ship's power on sunday. right now it's 30b mile off the coast of mobile, aem. anna werner is there where passengers will arrive. good morning, anna. >> reporter: good morning, j.b. and norah. there are several ships that will arrive before the ship does. right now it's at the mouth of the channel waiting for a

smaller boat to guide it up the channel. passengers are still going to have to go through a slow process of getting them all off the ship. meanwhile relatives are becoming more and more frustrated with the wait. as the crippled "triumph" limps slowly to shore, relatives eagerly await the arrival of their family members. these two women drove nearly eight hours from lufton, texas, to mobile, alabama, after hearing from them this week. >> she was scared. her biggest fear is she didn't know if she would ever see me again. as parent, that's hard. you don't know. you have to reassure your child and you don't even know the answer. >> reporter: at least three other carnival ships have dropped off supplies and food. but passengers describe using plastic toilet and a stench so bad it's made some sick.

>> i don't think i've ever been this passionately disgusted about anything in my life. >> reporter: jamie is disgusted over the conditions her husband is living in. >> if the ships were delivering cargo and food and supplies to them, why couldn't they drop passengers off in kozecozumel. there's got to be a way. no running water, no toilets. >> reporter: mickey also prompted controversy after this picture showed him sitting courtside at a miami heat basketball game tuesday night. he's the team's opener. all the relatives say the company has been more responsive in the last couple of days but they're tired of waiting on tugboats to slowly wait for the ship to be dragged back to harbor. >> i just think we have more

resources and people are smarter than that, and i think carnival missed the boat -- hmm detective -- on that one. no pun intended. >> reporter: they're going to be bussed to new orleans to stay overnight and many have to stay overnight at gal vels ton where their cars are. they've offered an additional $500 a piece on top of refunds for this trip and future free trips. as for "triumph," carnival has canceled the next 12 flights. congress has made more than a trillion dollars in spending cuts in the last couple of days. nancy cordes has more. good morning.

>> good morning. they would replace the damaging across-the-board cuts for the rest of 2013 with a 50/50 mix of spending cuts and new tax revenue. they would do this by asking millionaires to pay more and by trimming the defense budget, two moves that republicans are sure to oppose. the democratic plan being unveiled today would replace the ten-year sequester for the next ten months with $120 billion in spending cuts and new tax rev now. most of it would come from implementing known as the buffett rule, named after investor warren buffett. it would cap it so they would pay at least 30% of their salary in taxes. the cut would come from eliminating agriculture. >> this is not a game. this is reality. >> reporter: in his last conference before retiring defense secretary leon panetta warned the looming sequester

could cripple the military. >> many members have to understand they were protected to protect the public, not hurt the public. >> reporter: the sequester is shorthand for across-the-board cuts that are set to kick in because congress and the white house couldn't strike a debt deal last year. nearly half the cuts will come from the meant gone, which announced plans last week to reduce presence in iran. house republicans have coined the somewhat clunky term obamaquester in a way to describe the cuts. >> i want them to show us their plan to stop the sequester from going into effect. >> reporter: house republicans passed their own plan last year but the president opposed it.

>> they're presenting only the defense cuts by making even bigger cuts to things like education and job training, medicare, and social security benefits. that idea is even worse. >> reporter: millionaires just saw their taxes go up two months ago when they lost their bush-era tax cuts and house speaker john boehner has been telling us all week the president got his revenue then. he's not getting anymore, norah and jchlt b., these two sides are going to have to look at it. congress isn't even in session next week. also in washington political director john dickerson. john, i'm glad you're here this morning. nancy's got all this great reporting. now the democrats have this great plan. more tax on millionaires. is that going to go over leak a

lead balloon for the republicans? >> yes, a lead balloon with an anvil tied to it. john boehner is saying senate democrats have to do something. what they're saying is here we've got a rule that affects millionaires and republicans just want to protect those millionaires instead of working on an agreement here, so now they try to pin the blame on republican republicans just as john boehner and the house has been trying to pin the blame on the president. but this morning it's been opposition from the republicans and as you say it went down last year, this buffett rule. >> and so is your sense that this democratic plan won't lead anywhere? are there negotiations going on? >> we'll see now. we know what the republicans' response has been in the past and this morning. the response in the past has been we don't need more tax increase on anybody. this is a philosophical argument

they make whether it's on the wealthy or the middle class. the white house says the middle class shouldn't take the hit here and you heard the president say that in the state of the union address. he brought it up in 2012 but it was defeated by a filibuster in the senate in 2012. the other problem is washington has a spending problem so anything that focuses on revenue sort of ignores that, and, of course, what we have to look at is even though the debate will be in the senate for the moment, it's about the republicans and the white house is trying to put pressure on them saying they're trying to protect the wealthy but they have districts in which their voters say until they recognize they have a spending problem, don't you dare vote for anything that raises taxes on anybody. >> thank you. and pope benedict is suggesting we will never see him again after he resigns two weeks from today. the pope told the priests this morning he'll be, in his words,

hidden to the world. they say benedict will play no role in choosing his successor. they say he'll move to a vatican monastery to live a life of prayer and it is time now to show yo this morning's headlines. "the new york times" says iran is upgrading its nuclear facilities. new centrifuges were installed last month. meanwhile iran has started a new round of talks with the national atomic energy agency. and "the wall street journal" says the u.s. and europeans have struck up a trade deal. it could take two years to compete. "usa today" says there use news on chuck hagel. they could decide tomorrow. republicans are threatening to stonewall the nomination and moderate republican susan says she'll appose hagel.

>> at a hearing yesterday patrick donohoe told senators the postal service needs their help. last year, keep in mind, the post office loft nearly $16 billion. and the "los angeles times" says researchers believe they may have spotted the youngest black hole in the galaxy and it's not fashion only 200,000 light years away. some say a black hole could provide a passage to ano

>> announcer: this national weather report sponsored by kay jewelers. every kiss begins with kay. this morning los angeles police are defending the fiery end to the shoot-out with christopher dorner. we did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get mr. dorner out. >> our carter evans with new

details on how things ended. and another dangerous man is on the loose outside dallas. the search for the man who made a dramatic escape and now has an entire state on alert. plus, we visit a town where people say it's taking too long to dig out because officials took the day off. that's ahead on "cbs this morning." >> announcer: this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsorsore i ed by sargento cheese. taste the difference. this is america.

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lost their hearing, we have an important warning. a new study finds deafness may be connected to other

no one will notice -- >> everybody had a field day with that one. >> did that ever happen to you on local news at all? >> absolutely. ivan been caught on camera doing stuff when i didn't think the

camera was rolling. >> i did. i started crawling across a desk. i crawled over the desk to read. i wanted to stay on point. although it was too much on point. >> don't do that this morning. >> i promise i won't. >> we'll find that tape. welcome back, everybody, to "cbs this morning." we have serious news about a couple taken hostage by fugitive christopher dorner. they're now speaking out. >> dorner is the ex-cop now presumed bed after going on a revenge killing spree. carter evans, the only reporter to witness the shoot-out with dorner is in big bear. good morning, carter. >> reporter: good morning, j.b. they can't say definitively it was dorner in the burned out cabin but they can say he was hiding there for days in this condominium complex behind me. it's directly across from the police kpland post. the day after the shoot-out and cabin fire that is thought to

have ended the rampage of cop killer christopher dorner, officials are defending their actions of burning the cabin to the ground. >> we did not intention a ll i burn down that cabin to get mr. dorner out. >> reporter: officials now know where he was before the shoot-out. new information rereport thad he was hiding out in this condominium likely since last week. owners jim and karen reynolds walked in on him tuesday unexpectedly. >> he talked to us, trying to calm us down saying very frequently he would not kill us. >> dorner wanted their car to escape the area, but first he tied up the couple. >> did you think he was going to kill you then? >> when he had me lying on the ground, i thought, yes, he did. he calmed us down and then i thought he was going to do it. >> reporter: dorner abon donned his vehicle and then carjacked a

trooper driven by this man. >> he stood in front ofmy truck and had a gun aimed at me. i said i don't want to hurt you. get out and walk down the road and take your dog. >> reporter: dorner drove offwaring camouflage and a bulletproof vest. 35-year-old sheriff's deputy jeremi jeremi jeremiah mackay. yesterday, a moving procession, a flag draped coffin, nearly 1,000 officers from across the state gathered to pay their respects to the 11-year veteran who dorner ambushed at his patrol car when stopped at traffic light. >> your dad was a tough guy and because he was tough he knew he could be kind. he loved being a policeman, but he lived for his family. >> through her tears crane's widow bravely expressed her

gratitude to the law enforcement community. >> i knew that a lot of people loved mike, and i knew that i would have support no matter what, but i really did not realize the sheer scale of this and how many people are touched by his life. it gives me great comfort to see that. and i want to thank you all. >> reporter: during that final fire fight dorner also shot and wounded another sheriff's deputy. his name is eric collins. he's still in the hospital and doctors say he'll have to undergo several more surgeries, but j.b. and norah, he's expected to make a full recovery. >> incredible. even, thank you. a new manhunt is under way, this one across texas, after a convicted sex offender made a violent escape. alberto morales was being

transferred across the country from ym to texas. he stabbed a deputy. sherry, good morning. >> good morning. morales has now been added to texas's ten most wanted lists and authorities have also got a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture. some schools in the suburb are now on a lockdown and police are asking everyone to be alert just in case friends or family members unexpectedly fail to show up. this surveillance video shows alberto morales escaping his miami-dade police escort monday night from a walmart parking lot near dallas. while chained at his hands and waist he was able to break off part of his sunglasses and stab

the deputy multiple times. >> i've been stabbed in the neck. he's alberto morales. he's a schizophrenic. >> reporter: he was being transported to a prison in texas by pardinas and his partner. >> we've got the mettics on the way and officers on the way. >> he's stable but still in serious condition. >> reporter: the three men were originally flying to carson city, nevada, but they were kicked off a flight during a layover in houston because morales had been disruptive. >> mr. morales was very, very agitated and acting very erratic. >> reporter: the two detectives decided to make the rest of the 1,300-mile trip on land and a third detective decided to join them when morales got away. >> this is a dangerous

individual. he's demonstrated how dangerous he is by his criminal past. >> reporter: in 2003 he attacked two women in an apartment leaving his wallet at the scene. morales pled guilty to those crimes in december and was ordered back to nevada where he had already been convicted of two aggravated sexual assault charges. >> we have a lot of police officers, federal agent, undercover units out there. we're utilizing whatever we can to get this guy apprehended. >> reporter: now, authorities believe that morales is still hides out here in the grapevine area, but they're not taking any chances. they are concerned about him fleeing to mexico and for that reason they have alerted border crossing to be on the

if you're losing your hearing, that's bad enough. but there's a new study that says it could lead to even more health problems. this morning the doctor who led the study looks at the impact of deafness on the brain on "cbs this morning."

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frightening by itself, but a new study finds it may increase your risk of dementia.

the lead author of that report is dr. lin. >> what did you find? >> we found loss of thinking and memory abilities overtime. in the first study we basically found that hearing loss was associated with a risk. someone with a mild hearing, mild, moderate would have a two-fold, three-fold, and five-fold risk of developing dementia overtime. and we found similar findings that compared people with normal hear, peel with hearing loss had about a 30% to 40% faster rate of cognitive decline. >> that's a stunning finding because seniors say they feel their hearing is going and most of my friends. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> norah's friend are too young to be experiencing that but if you wear hearing aid, will that

help to diminish it? >> that's a big question going forward. if you can use a hearing aid that help mitigate the social isolation plus the load on the brain to have to process degraded hearing could that reduce the risk of dementia and decline, that's what we're studying now. >> why do you think there's a connection between this loss of hearing and dementia? >> we think there's a couple ways. the first idea is pretty intuitive meaning if you can't communicate very well you're more likely to be socially isolated. if you do go out, you're not likely to be engaged a conversation. we know that social isolation is a direct risk factor to cognitive decline. the other is if you can't hear very well, you're having to concentrate harder to pro is these sound and that load on the brain probably comes at an expense of thinking and memory

abilities. >> dr. frank lyin, very impressive. now we're learning some really interesting new details about the surprising relationship between the former commanders in chief. we have that story for you next on "cbs this morning." >> announcer: cbs "healthwatch" sponsored by subway restaurants. subway, build your better breakfast. ♪ i got it made ♪ fresh at subway ♪ breakfast made the way i say ♪ i got it made ♪ i got it made, i got it made, i got it made ♪ ♪ fresh at subway ♪ breakfast made the way i say [ male announcer ] get breakfast made the way you say. like your very own sizzlin' steak, egg white & cheese. amazingly under 200 calories. want green peppers, red onions on toasty flatbread? oh, you so got it made. ♪ at subway oh, you so got it made. nature's true celebrities aren't always the most obvious. take the humble stevia plant, with a surprising secret to share: sweetness.

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anniversary of richard nixon's birth there's a new exhibit at his presidential library and has a lot of people talking. it contains newly declassified documents that reveal that nixon was corresponding with president bill clinton. jan crawford is here with the story. good morning. >> good morning, norah, good morning, j.b. they have released these incredible documents and it shows a surprisingly warm relationship between presidents nixon and clinton. the correspondence includes a handwritten letter congratulating him on a tough primary and election. that letter was the beginning of an unlikely union between the former republican and the democrat. they say politics make strange bedfellows.

that was the case in 1992 when he sent a hand-written note to president clinton. the strongest steel must pass through the hottest fire. in enduring that ordeal, you have demonstrate thad you have the character to lead. >> it's a very fascinating letter because he's opening up the door to a new incoming president that i'm on your side, that i'm impressed by you, that you have the moxie, you have the steel to be president, and i'm here. and that started the beginning of a great friendship between clinton and nixon. >> reporter: presidential historical douglas brinkley says the relationship served him well. >> nixon was able to rehabilitate himself and had been shunned largely by reagan and bush and was welcoming in overture with the new democratic president and clinton took it. >> reporter: over the next two year s nixon offered clinton hi skper stees on foreign affairs.

when nixon died a few months later it was clinton who eulogized him. >> today is a day for his family and his friends and his nation to remember president nixon's life in totality. to them let us say may the day of judging president nixon on anything less than his entire life and career come to a close. >> reporter: the irony of those words would not be appreciated until a few years later when president clinton faced his own challenges. >> new mexicoen got chased out of the white house with his impeachment fears and the same thing happened to bill clinton. and this new group of letters from the nixon library just connects those two famous two-term elected presidents, nixon and clinton in history with this very interesting correspondence. >> this was not the first.

harry trueman struck up a good relationship with herbert hoover and lyndon johnson forged a bond with dwight eisenhower. >> who would have thunk it? were you surprised? >> i really was. you don't think about nixon and clinton but douglas brinkley told me yesterday they both have this that they found useful. have you heard? romance is in the air this valentine's day, so we'll celebrate with the self-proclaimed queen of sappy love songs. delilah. that's next on "cbs this morning." quesadillas our bacon ranch or big mouth burger bites, served with soup or salad, and fries. starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. ♪ pop goes the world pop in a whole new kind of clean with tide pods. just one pac has the stain removal power of six caps of the bargain brand. pop in. stand out. that's what i'm here for. fund, of the bargain brand.

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good morning to you. it's 8:00. welcome back to "cbs this morning." we'll talk to the ceos of american airlines and us airways about the big merger. the companies are flying into history together this morning. and on this valentine's day, we'll meet delilah who became famous playing nothing but love songs on the radio. but first here's a look at today's "eye opener" at 8:00. >> so this isn't so much a whodunit as a what happened. >> olympic track star and double amputee oscar pistorius is under arrest this morning accused of murder. >> his girlfriend was found shot in his home in south africa

overnight. the deal is done. american airlines and us airways are announcing an $11 billion merger. >> it's the seventh merger. less competition in general means higher prices. the nightmare aboard the carnival cruise line "triumph" could finally end today. >> reporter: relatives are becoming more and more frustrated with the wait. >> i think carnival missed the boat on that one. officials can't say definitively that's dorner's body in that burned out cabin but we now learn he was hiding in plain sight for several days. >> the two sides are going to have to come together before the sequester which is just two weeks away and congress isn't even in session next week. >> the democrats have plan. more taxes on millionaires. is that going to go over like a lead balloon? >> with an anvil tied to it. it shows a surprisingly warm relationship between presidents clinton and nixon. >> i heard the trend this year

is couples don't need to get each other for valentine's day because they love each other every day. and to all the guys out there watching, i just want to say, it's a trap. buy something. today's "eye opener" is presented by -- american airlines and us airways announced this morning they're joining forces to become the world's largest airline. >> the new airline will become american airlines. the 11 billi$11 billion merger approved. coming up on "cbs this morning" we'll talk with both ceos. it's their first network morning interview. the passengers of the carnival cruise line "triumph."

are just a few hours from safety. it will be towed to port this afternoon in mobile, alabama. anna werner is there and i'm presuming there will be a lot of ticked off people. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, gayle. that is likely to be true. right now the coast guard says the ship is still at least 26, maybe 30 miles from shore roughly, but it's going to be even another day yet before they really get in here. they're not expected in here until late this afternoon coming here to the cruise ship terminal, and once they do get here, they have go through the slow process of getting all those people off to ship. then they'll be headed to new orleans for the night and then after that on the way back to texas for many of them, houston, galveston, and finally home. so the upshot here today is that they're finally going to get off the boat but they're not finished with their journey quite yet but the boat is still expected to dock somewhere late this afternoon. gayle? >> anna werner, thank you.

a vatican spokesman confirms a report this morning that pope benedict hit his head during a trip to cuba last year. benedict told a group of priest this morning he will be, quote, hid on the the world after he retires. >> some health news making waves. the cost of prescription drugs is soaring. drug prices soared 3%. some of the top sellers saw even bigger hikes. the heart burn drug nexium went up 8%. abilify went up 10% and crestor went up 9%. they hate styrofoam because it can't be recycled and it

isn't biodegradable. the northeast blizzard last weekend is still leaving people in one town feeling left in the cold today. many are only now getting dug out while some of those in charge are now showing up. terrell brown is in brook haven on love island with more on that story. terrell, good morn dwroug. >> reporter: gayle, good morning to you. more than 30 inches of snow has fallen here and a lot of it had been plowed into huge snow mounds like this one. we talked to residents here last night and many of them say the process of getting this snow cleared was utter chaos. when the snow stop falling, brook haven was buried in nearly three feet of snow and it stayed there for nearly a week. >> it's a nightmare, a disaster. there's no way to get to my street. everything has not been plowed. it's all ice. >> where's the plow when you need them. >> reporter: the town's

spokesman maintains the plows were no match for the storm but much of the blame is directed at two town officials off the job. supervisor edward romaine was on vacation in jamaica and acting superintendent michael murphy called in due to a tooth ache. he resigned. could someone have died? >> yes, they could have died. we had people in stony brook who had heart attacks. we had to put them on stretchers and slide them down the block because of lack of executive leadership. >> reporter: 07 plows were sent in to help. teresa levins was stranded in her house for three days with her husband, a local fire chief. >> the fire chief. >> the chief of the department, yes, could not get out. >> reporter: what were you thinking during this entire

time? >> this was so unacceptable. there's no reason to be like this. we pay enough taxes. there's enough people that can work, that are willing to work. there was no reason to have these roads not plowed for three days. >> the town's supervisor was supposed to return from their caribbean vacation today. he came back a day early because of all the outrage from the storm to hold a press conference later today. gayle, j.b., norah? >> thank you so much. police in southern california say they did not intentionally burn down the cabin where christopher dorner apparently died. dorner was a murder suspect, that is, with a dwrumg against the lapd. john blackstone shows us why two of his final victims say he didn't seem like a bad man. karen and jim reynolds are breaking their silence. they're the owners of mountain vista resort where alleged cop killer christopher dorner had been hiding the day police tracked them down. on a routine check of one of

their units, dorner surprised them from upstairs. >> and he opened the door and came out at us. he yelled, stay calm and ran out. >> he talked to us, trying to calm us down and saying very frequently he would not kill us. >> he said, i don't have a problem with you. i just want to clear my name. >> reporter: dorner had been apparently keeping an eye on karen and jim for days. although he broke in and tied them up, he felt compelled to pay them an unexpected compliment. >> he said we're very hard workers, good people. he saw us working on the snow every day. >> he saw me shoveling the snow. >> dorner left the couple behind and tried to take their car but he soon returned asking them how to start their keyless nissan. later the reynolds managed to undo their restraints and call police. a few hours later manhunt was over.

and although the reynolds were aware of dorner's alleged trail of violence, they couldn't help but feel some compassion for their captor i didn't wish him dead, though, at any point. i prayed for him a lot and i'm praying for his family now. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning," john blackstone, california. >> they're very lucky to be alive. >> it's good to know in the end he showed some humanity but that can't be much comfort to the

it's not the end of the world, but an asteroid is heading toward earth. we'll show you how close it may get and why it's a good thing we don't have to try and stop it. yep, that's right. that's later on "cbs this morning." >> announcer: this morning's "eye opener" at 8:00 is sponsored by allergan. maybe you'll have some friends over for dinner. maybe you'll have a migraine. if you have migraines with 15 or more headache days a month, you're living a maybe life. and you may have chronic migraine. but knowing this thing you're going through has a name

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the men who run american airlines and us airways will join us to talk about the merger. they'll answer questions you and employees want answered. later it's valentine's day. it often means surprises. we've got a few of those. we talked to an expert who took a look at websites who scientifically try to find your match. plus how to take the stress out of your relationship in just seven minutes.

they say you can get a lot done in seven minutes, james brown. >> go ahead, gayle. >> that's all ahead on "cbs this morning." >> announcer: this portion of "cbs this morning" sponsored by lifestyle lift. find out how you can light up your life.

welcome back to "cbs this morning." the big news today, the merger of american airlines and us airways. with us now in their first network morning interview u.s. airway ceo doug parker and american ailes ceo tom horton. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> you're merging on this valentine's day, but let me ask you first, doug. a lot of people say does this mean higher prices for me when i want to travel? >> the answer is no. fortunately we have two airlines highly complimentary, not much

overlap at all. but we've combined an airline that can compete against those larger. united and delta that can compete strongly against us. so it's more competition, not less. >> doug, you've been -- it sounds like you need a little bottle of water over there. here i go. dare i bring up marco rubio. but you've been pushing for the merger for a long time why and why now? >> well, it makes sense now. it's made sense for a while, we think, but sometimes all the planets need to align and it's taken a while for us to get here but fortunately we've come to an agreement it makes sense for all of our customers and employees and investors and we couldn't be happier. >> what's the benefit for american airlines. american hasn't done so great litly. what's the benefit for american with this emergencier? >> well, you know, at american, we've been in the middle of a

restructuring which has brought down our cost structure and strengthened our bottom line but at the same time, we geeshet a new fleet of aircraft on the way, hundreds of new airplanes. we've launched a lot of new products and services and we've recently been refreshing our brand, so we've done a lot of new things. and now this is really the logical next step to return american back to industry leadership. we'll be the number one airline in the world and create really a truly well classed global carrier with our partners at us airways. >> doug and tom, norah remined me i teased this piece as a valentine day hookup. judging by the fact that you two are sitting together this was not a hostile takeover, i'm assuming, and who's going to run the airline. >> no, it wasn't hostile. we've come to an agreement and both are happy about it.

once we do close, i'll be the ceo, tom will be the chairman, and we're going to work together between now and then to make sure we have a good and nice transition. >> yeah. i've known dug for over 25 years. we're great friends. we go back to terrell days at american airlines where doug started his career so it's going to be great partnership going forward. >> i think that's a great to hear, but, you know, when you're both ceos and somebody no longer has to be a ceo, will there be a period of adjustment? looks like we just -- >> yeah, we can hear you. >> okay. >> will there be a period of adjustment since one is no longer going to be the ceo? that's my question. >> well, i think it's all about the company. it's not about the individual. i certainly feel that way. i know doug feels that way too. it's about making sure we're create gragt new american airlines and that's what we're going do with this merger. >> so will it me ask you. i'm a fan of us airways.

is that name going to cease to exist? >> unfortunately that name is going to go away. i'm a fan too. but the american brand is one of the most iconic in the world and one that we decided is an even stronger brand and once we close this, we'll be american airlines and the us airways brand will be retire, but the us airways that you know will just be a stronger airline with more places for you to fly. you'll be able to use your miles to fly to more and more places, so we'll be happy to keep take kag irof you. >> all right. sounds like a good deal. thank you doug and tom. can't wait to fly. tomorrow we'll have a close call with an asteroid. it won't hit earth, but here's a question. what if it did? we'll talk with michio kaku next on "cbs this morning." your local news is. going up next.

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it's valentine ee's day. a lot of people are asking that question. coming up this half hour, she's the self-proclaimed queen of sappy love songs. on this valentine's day, we'll put a face to the name delilah this morning. that's how she says her name. plus, helen hunt is here in studio 57. she plays a sex surrogate in "the session," and that meant on screen nudity. we'll talk about that role and that fact that she's pushing boundaries which could earn her

a second boundary. this morning it's time to show you the headlines around the globe. it's reported that oscar pistorius, the first double amputee to run in the olympic games is charged with murder. his girlfriend was found shot in his home. pistorius who wears an art fishlg leg is known as the blade runner. he'll appear in court later today. "the washington post" says john kerry is hopeful of persuading assad to step down. kerry's going to present his syrian proposal during an overseas trip, his first later this month. and the l. acha. times says there was a record number of shark attacks, more than twice as many as anywhere else. scientists say there's a jump in attacks because more people are spending more time in the water. and new york's daily news says one third of people who cheat on their significant other

have a secret social media account. a new study finds having a fake facebook profile was the most popular. 67% of cheaters surveyed have one. about half use secret e-mail and twitter accounts and most wanted their sneaky accounts so they could present themselves as single. more than ever, people are turning to online dating. some websites claim they can use your personal nofgs find your perfect soul mate for you. how realistic is that? eli finkel is an expert in the science of this. good morning. we've heard the horror and success of online dating. do you think it works? >> i think online dating is a very successful way of going about meeting somebody. there are two general ways. the first is the supermarkets of love model where you browse hundreds and try to figure out who's compatible with you and the second is the real estate

where they pitch themselves as, you know, the terranus. >> the supermarket and the real estate. >> they're very popular. why do you think that seniors have more success on these sites than others? >> actually they're much more likely than younger to meet online. it's not that they're more intuitive. we think younger people are tech savvy. >> what's the definition of a senior? >> it's not even seniors but starting 40 and above up through the 60s. i think older than that hats that much. the reason is they're not sitting around in a college campus with a bevy of possibilities around them and online dating is a terrific way to expand the pool. >> is there a scientific approach, an algorithm, if you will, that can say it definitely will work for this couple?

>> the question is there such an approach, the answer is question. the question is do those algorithms work, sadly the answer is no. what i would recommend people do when they think about online dating is use it as an opportunity to expand the pool and then get a cup of coffee or maybe a point of beer from somebody and find out is there a little bit of chemistry here. >> but you talk about people who are in that very healthy relationship that if you take seven minutes there's something you can do that you think is really healthy for all relationships. >> this is for people already involved in a relationship. this a study that we just published, right? so what we did is we had 120 married couples in the chicago areand a all of thome wrote about their conflicts periodically through a too two-year period. midway through we asked half the couples to do this extra wright task where they thought about the conflict with a third neutral party who wants the best for all involved.

they ended up with satisfying and more passionate sides. >> when you're in an argument, you both have two different realities. dwlou get past, that i think i'm right? >> there's no question. the evidence is clear when we argue we see things from our own perspective, our own lies. that's why i think this writing task was so effective. it forces you to say, all right, if i were some third party looking at the two of us, wants the best for both of us, you might think, i sound like an idiot and my wife, she has a good point. >> gayle, are you a writer? >> i'm a writer. i'm also divorced. i didn't write enough. on this valentine's day, you'll hear love songs plays from restaurants to radios. one says she knows every love song ever written. i believe her.

ben tracy spent some time with the radio host delilah. >> tell me what's going on. tell me what's on your heart. >> reporter: that voice, they name. >> you're listening to delilah. >> reporter: and thelove songs. >> is there a song you want me to play, jamie? >> they call you the kweeb of sachy love songs. >> these not on my busy card. >> you're okay with that. >> oh, yeah. i'm so okay with that. >> reporter: her real name is delilah rene. >> man, jeffrey, that woman loves you something fierce. >> yeah, she does. >> reporter: the delilah show follow as very simple formula. >> you call and share the story. i try to find the perfect song to match up for you. >> reporter: people call and tell you these deeply personal things. >> oh, my word. if i were a real jerk, i could have an amazing alternative show

because people tell me stuff and i'm like why are you telling me this? to you not know i'm on the radio? >> do you really want to let the walls down and let someone all the way in. >> reporter: it sometimes sounds like therapy. >> i always tell people i'm not a therapist, not a counselor, i'm just a woman who's been around the block a few times. don't make the mistakes i made. >> reporter: if the queen of sappy love songs is thinking of a song for herself, it would be looking for love in all the wrong places. >> reporter: three marriages, three choices? >> yeah. >> reporter: bad person or bad choices? >> really bad choices. they were really good looking, really funny, and really not good for me. >> reporter: that kind of

easy-going honesty helped turn this former traffic reporter into the cupid of the radio show. she launch fd her call-in show in 1984. nearly 06,000 people call her each day. delilah talks to about 08 of them and 20 make it on the show i i'm glad you're here tonight, tina. who's on your heart? >> my heart is with my husband of 30 years. >> reporter: she records most of it in her basement which is a respite from upstairs. >> we didn't even say grace. >> reporter: delilah has 13 kids. she adopted four from foster care and some from africa. she has a 4-year-old she adop d ed in december. she feeds her family with her 750 chickens, five bigs and her four cows who provide milk and

butter which delilah churns herself. oh, there are also three emus and a zebra named zina as in the warrior princess. >> reporter: the farm, the 13 kids, some people would look at that and say -- >> i'm a nut case. >> reporter: well, because you're successful, you're an eccentric. >> oh, that's so much nicer. i don't think i'm an eccentric at all. i believe when i stand before god i'm going to be held accountable and i want to hear well done, well done. >> reporter: she believes god brought her to ghana. she'll visit there for the 21st time later this month. >> i'm delilah here with you all night long. >> reporter: she's owned her own show since 2004 and employs a staff of 14 who produce it in seattle. she takes the ferry over several time as week to check in on

them. you have a very busy home life and work life. how do you make this all work? >> i have no idea. the truth i is don't get worried about small stuff. pretty much everything is small stuff. you know, when you let those things go and focus on what really matters, it works. >> reporter: you're listening to delilah. and she's taken her own advice to never give up on love. she's just married for the fourth time. >> reporter: you could be understand standably shy about married. >> you think? >> reporter: did you never get jaded? >> i knew that my heart was alive and capable of love, so, no, i never gave up. >> reporter: but that doesn't mean she's in love with all those love songs. >> and what song would you like to hear? >> reporter: is there a sappy song you can't hear one more time? >> there are a couple of them. do you have to hear "you are the

wind beneath my wings. >> reporter: but she'll plate. >> i love her. she's gotten me through many car rides. she always finds the right song go with the right story. she's fantastic. >> i love her. >> very real, very down to earth. i'd like to hear well done. it is valentine's day, so get ready for a close encounter tomorrow, but we're talking about an asteroid that's half the size of a football field and it i nearing plan it earth. we have cbs news contributor michio kaku. he's a physics professor at civics university, new york. professor, good to see you. everybody's in a good mood, everybody's got their red on,

ipd's vap valentine's day. should are we be worried? is this a buzz kill? >> the good news is we're going to dodge the bullet and miss it by a whisker and have a front row seat closer ever recorded in history. the bad news is it caught us totally off guard. we weren't expecting it. and it's going to come so close it's going to go under the satellite carrying cbs news. >> what would happen if dh 14 hit the sneearth? >> to be frank, it would ruin your day. in russia in 1908 a near carbon copy plowed into siberia giving russia a black eye. it wiped out thousands of real estate and was about the size of an apartment building and hit the force of three to ten tons

of tnt. remember, if it hit new york city, it would really ruin your valentine's day. we're talking about a flash of light, a fire ball emerging and then we would have meteors and a firestorm spreading out to about 20 miles. that means long island, westchester, fairfield county. >> you say it with such enthusiasm. and then it would go this far and everyone would die and there would be nothing left. we should say it's just animation it's animation. we dodge add bullet. it's not going to hit us. how rng we should point out there is other good news and that is very large objects like a mile across could wipe out life forms like dinosaurs, so the very fact that we're here talking today talk about this is because one wiped out the dinosaurs that was six miles across. it was a planet buster.

and we're here today because of that fact, because of the fact that a gigantic on jekt six miles across plowed into the yucatan of mexico wiping out the dinosaurs. >> real quick. if an asteroid is coming is there anything we can do to blow it up before it hits planet earth? >> to be very blunt about this, we are a sitting duck. we have no way of preventing the impact. the space shuttle has been canceled. the bruce willis solution is to blow it to smithereens. that's a bad idea because then you have a lot of baby asteroids coming at you. >> he delivers the grim news with such enthusiasm. there's nothing grim about her. we're talking about helen hunt who's on the verge of winning her second oscar, thank you very much.

so your money's on the desk over there. >> yes, it is. thank you. >> that was the wrong way to start off. >> it really was. shall we start again? >> please. you start. >> although the aim is for us to have sex, i'm not a prostitute. you don't have to pay me up front. i have nothing against prostitutes but there's a difference. we can talk about that later. >> i'm sorry. >> that's helen hunt in the movie "the session." she plays a sex sur dwat helping a pole low low polio-stricken paralyzed. welcome. >> thank you. >> they call it a shock but i think it's a great experience. the first sexual experience can be awkward under the best of

circumstances. here you are full nudity with someone who's physically challenged. were you challenged by this part? >> stupidly i was not. i read it and it was so beautiful and so rare that i said yes before i had a chance to thing about the implications and by the time i shot it i was was so deeply inlove with the mean that i kind of skipped the part where i went, eek. >> it's a deeply touching movie. it's very emotional. >> and funny. in the movie thalter people were not hearing the next line because there was so much laughter. >> i think that scene we just placed with us a good one because people were like, really, there are sex therapists out there that do that? you did a lot of research for this role. >> yeah. i've played real people before and you get the call to women you're playing and secretly you don't get that much because you're bringing your life to this story.

in the case i fell so inlove with this woman's fire and enthusiasm and positiveness. she excuses mental health mixed with sex. it's rare on film. i don't see it very often. >> yes. sara cohen green. >> yeah, she just wrote a book. she's incredible. >> you recently said you vchb been offer add big movie roll in a long time. >> a while. >> why do you think that is? are you interested? it was so great to see you. >> i don't know. i think partly it's that i have a very compelling life as a mother and i write and i'm directing quite a bit now and so i'm dying to act but i'm not dying toing at in just anything and so when i read this movie, i thought, i want to be partf that story. >> you can tell i'm blushing through this conversation so let me ask you this question.

what would it take -- >> to get my clothes off again? >> sweetheart, i didn't ask that question. what would it take to get you back on television. >> oh, not much. a good script. i see and have had a few opportunities they've passed on to do that one-hour/2-episode thing and i think as a mother i'm blessed that i worked a lot and don't have do that. i want add child so bad i can't stand to miss it. but there's so many opportunities do 12 episodes in a year that i would love do one of those. >> thanks for make meg sweat. >> hope i made you just a little bit uncomfortable. >> we're cheering you on. >> thank you.

from the flower district in l.a., a reminder, get your loved

ones some flowers or something special. happy valentine's day for you. >> you got something for me and

(woman) 3 days of walking to give a breast cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information today. it was 3 days of pure joy. ♪ and it's beautiful